The Khaki Boys Fighting to Win; or, Smashing the German Lines

d him. Was he perpetrating some grim joke, or had he re

old walls rattle and sending up little clouds of grain dust from

ounded us?" cried Roge

y calmness as he pointed from the window see

which surrounded the little valley in which the mill was located, were ra

nz. Iggy looked on almost as uncomprehendingly as did Bob, but Iggy was staring at a dead German on the floor of the mill-a German he had killed by a bayonet thrust from behind,

a bit nettled. "Doesn't it loo

ous, I guess. But the idea of a German army, or at least sev

were being surround

ter they find out we've silenced the machine guns. But for the present this seems to be a big advance. I guess there's going to be some fi

our fellows are

ss we sort of over-ran our objective. There mu

sn't easy. And now the Germans are coming on, and-well, if we can st

s. It was too much of a

ely surrounded," declared Franz, hop

comprehend, in a measure, what was in the

declared Jimmy.

tened, amid fire and smoke and death and wounds, was occupied by a line of gray. The Germans had slipped down from the left flank and had cut off the retreat of the five Brothers in the mill. And as the advancing army was c

to which Jimmy had called their attention, they were a

is water running yet. Always in our countries where is a mill i

d better eat and drink while we can. We have our emergency rations, and, as Iggy says, there must be water where

e here?" asked Bob, and he pointed

-well this place isn't just the most inviting," and he could not repress a shudder as he looked at the death and devastation all about them. The bodies of the killed Germans we

d then, finding a room where the miller had evidently lived, they sat down to make what meal they could. An

your opinion, Bl

to turn to Jimmy as a leader n

e last of some Germans and t

a puzzle,"

as I see it. You know we started, some days ago, to drive back the Huns. To a certain extent we succeeded

the German divisions. But our particular sector was halted, and we seem to have gone

hat was left of the force our boys succeeded in wiping out. They had orders to stay

d now comes a much larger force," and he indicated the Hun hordes rolling down the slopes. "It was probably the knowledge of the advance of this big body of troops that

s know it. The army, or division, or whatever it is, that's coming on now may not even know that this mill, for a time, was h

ve a better account of ourselves," went on Jimmy, who was sitting on a box,

at mean?"

ase we'll be all right. I admit it's going to be a ticklish proposition to escape

losing in?"

the center has. The two wings are coming on like a pa

dey squeeze u

y. "But maybe we can inflict a few bites before they crush us! Fel

r, gloomily. "I fired about al

re," adm

t," suggested Iggy. "One only was bust

t. If worst comes to worst we may, for a short time, turn t

cond machine-gun was in good order, and

e work it?

d Franz. "I saw something of '

t, after all," cried Jimmy. "He

it was freed from the dead Huns about it, and the ammunition was overhauled. There was also some ammunition for the

rifles, though, as Roger had said there was very little availab

any food they didn't gobble," suggested Rog

had no present intentions, as far as could be judged, of attackin

een made silently and comparatively quietly. On either side of the mill, in the far distan

, evidently in preparation for a long stay in the mill. It was not food of the best qu

decided Jimmy, which was the sentiment of all, "an

ook to me as though they were settling down for a long stay. I can't

dies out of the way, the boys occasionally looked from the mill windows. As Roger

s, and were talking of their chances for escape, when there

rrific noise deafened them. They seemed to be at the ending of the career of this part of the old earth as